Pague very likely finds himself in a must-win situation. The 26-year-old has lost three straight fights and four of five in the UFC. Two of his three straight setbacks, though, have been by split decision. In June at UFC 161, he dropped a split call to Yves Jabouin in Winnipeg in his first fight in 10 months.

The Virginian went 1-2 in 2012, a year that saw him fight twice in two weeks. He submitted Jared Papazian in the first round at UFC on FX 3 in Florida, then went up the coast two weeks later to fight Ken Stone at UFC on FX 4 on short notice. But he dropped a split decision there to start his current skid.

Horiguchi, the Shooto 132-pound champion, signs with the UFC on the strength of a five-fight win streak that includes three stoppages in his native Japan, where the 22-year-old has fought exclusively since turning pro in 2009.

Horiguchi’s training partners with the Krazy Bee team in Japan include the UFC’s Norifumi “Kid” Yamamoto, former UFC fighter Issei Tamura and Kotetsu Boku, who on Friday fought in the main event at ONE FC 10. His resume includes a unanimous decision win this past December over UFC veteran Ian Loveland and eight stoppages in his 11 wins.